The King of Fighters '97: Neo Geo vs CD vs PS1 vs Saturn vs NGP Comparison

The King of Fighters '97 was originally released in 1997 for Arcade - Neo Geo. There were several ports, and here we'll be analyzing each, comparing to the arcade game.
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Enjoy!
Arcade/Neo Geo Analysis - 0:08
Neo Geo CD Analysis - 6:35
PlayStation Analysis - 17:05
Sega Saturn Analysis - 31:42
Neo Geo Pocket Analysis - 44:15
Orochi Collection Analysis (PS2/PSP/Wii) - 47:40
Global Match Analysis (Steam/PS4/Vita) - 50:42
All versions side-by-side - 52:23

[@TalesBarros]

Where are you, man? Is everything alright?

[@retroport9393]

This is a re-upload, last video was locked at 720p for some reason, nothing added. Thanks a lot to Malik Levy for the voice over in this video!

[@DanielAyy]

Your vids are awesome, just saying! :)

[@mayferplays]

Amazing video! Excellent analysis! That's your best job so far (the others were great too)! And Malik voice is awesome!

[@erwanlecainec3394]

I don't mind for the extra commentary but I preferred when there was no commentary and just the subtitles. You could appreciate more the music this way.

[@retroport9393]

@@erwanlecainec3394 Sorry, KZbin asked me to change the format and add narration. I do like music only, but that's one of the problems they pointed: it's third party content.

[@user-xb5mt1sf9e]

I was surprised by your very detailed video. But isn't the explanation of 19:11 about the Sega Saturn port?

[@SolBuster]

Man. I love this channel. Please come back. Videos like these are like comfort food and I eat em up daily.

[@RevengerPhoenix]

As a former content creator, I understand if the channel owner never returned. I did something involving video editing for over 11 years. I started doing it as a hobby in college. By the time I was a full grown adult, I found it stressing to sit in front of computer editing 5-6 hours a day after coming from work…and it was exhausting. So I just decided to quietly stop doing the hobby. I wasn’t enjoying it anymore, and I’d rather spend the free time I have with my family or doing other less intense hobbies. So just to give you perspective about why some content creators suddenly stop uploading and never return. Video editing takes time and patience. And if you’re doing it as a hobby and not getting any money from it, only the fun is left. When it becomes more annoying and stressful than fun, that’s when you quietly drop it and never return. This man put a lot of effort into every video, so I can see why it must’ve become an exhausting hobby for him.

[@erwanlecainec3394]

I was desperately starving for this video to come. Thank you retroport !

[@NostalgiaPS1]

Simple amazing man. I apreciate a lot your comparation frame per frame, and the research for all the versions. A special thanks again for the portuguese subtitles. Keep this fantastic work.

[@icekokoro2708]

I think it’s absurd that SNK didn’t port the Saturn version with the 4MB RAM cart in mind. X-Men vs Street Fighter came out before KOF 97 on the system so I think it was a missed opportunity. It could’ve blown the other ports away and be the next best thing to owning the Neo Geo cart.

[@WeskerSega]

SNK was already phasing out their Sega Saturn development about that time, so I suppose that's why they didn't invest in supporting the 4MB RAM cartridge. The King of Fighters '97 was their last Sega Saturn title in fact (not counting Best Collection re-releases), released in March 1998, while Capcom still sticked with the console for a couple of years more. You can't really compare both companies in terms of how they supported the Sega Saturn, there was clearly more dedication and love in Capcom's side.

[@trevorjoel2150]

InstaBlaster.

[@diasflac0g]

I understand your complaint, but the Saturn version was already IMO better than the Neo Geo CD and PSX versions. What more do you want? Back in the day this was the best way to play the game at home. Aside from the sped up voice samples this port is excellent. The PS2 Japanese orochi saga makes all these ports obsolete though.

[@Tempora158]

I think this was a case of tribalism. SNK knew all their fans on the Sega Saturn already have the 1MB RAM cart from buying their previous SNK ports. But if they made KOF97 require the 4MB RAM cart, SNK would either have to provide a SKU that includes KOF97 and the 4MB RAM together which will drive up SNK's publishing cost or they force their fans to buy a Capcom game to get the 4MB RAM cart, which is really bad optics. This is why SNK made KOF97 a 1MB RAM cart game like their previous ports but with attention paid to compatibility with the 4MB RAM cart for Capcom fans who want to cross into SNK's side after buying X-Men vs Street Fighter.

[@laumpolumpio]

@@diasflac0g FX sounds and voices are lower quality on the Saturn, it sounds like sh1t.

[@gaffa2002]

Love your comparisons, man. They have the perfect balance between being detailed and interesting to watch in my opinion.

[@RaitoADV]

The "HD Android" version is actually a port, and not emulation. The sprites kind of look like they were passed through a filter, but on closer inspection you can actually see minor sprite details that filters can't do, like the suns drawn on Kyo's gloves, or the eyes of various characters.

[@imnotayoutuber8494]

I hope you comeback one day, loved the videos

[@Fesaru75]

Awesome video, great work and good comentary, keep going !

[@rikratosbits9175]

Wonderful vídeo buddy!

[@greensun1334]

Actually, the Neo Geo is the one with the "weird" resolution. It was meant to be 320x224, but a glitch affected eight pixels on the end of the screen left and right, so it's 304 wide. This glitch got never removed, because it's just a minor issue.

[@AshtarSheran1]

Professional comparison,congratulations.

[@kylestyle5693]

Just stumbled across your channel. I love your content! Thanks for making such detailed videos! I hope you make another someday! Maybe The Last Blade? Fist of the North Star? JOJO’s? Anything would be cool to watch! Thanks for the hard work!

[@kylestyle5693]

Also great to hear your voice in this video! Makes it much easier to enjoy on the train haha!

[@jogadorcomum3265]

Otimo video, se ainda estiver encarnado na terra, espero que faça novos vídeos, tem muito talento!

[@SaminPK]

Fanstastic comparison. Thans a lot 👍😁

[@BrainDesmo]

Dude, amazing stuff. Like’d and Sub’d.

[@jbanzato]

fantastic video! Parabéns! T+

[@fernandozavaletabustos205]

KOF is one of the best fighting franchises!

[@Edu_Vanquish]

Desiste não mano, faz mais vídeos pra nós por favor. Faz com as KOF que faltam.

[@Lain_Unkown]

BR detected!

[@CAPCOM784]

Hope to see more videos soon.❤

[@NIGH11]

Greetings from Trinidad ! Great video and voice over ! The animation comparison is really interesting. I yake it the Neo Geo CD removed frames to speed up loading, while the ps1 version did it more because of its limited RAM?

[@yelnatspowerzz4970]

Great video great channel your fans r dying for more content

[@porsupollo9349]

incredible videos, i hope you can do the same with kof 98.

[@alessandroluciocordeirodas9115]

Eu tinha um Neo Geo Cd com este jogo. Apesar de ser o que mais demorava para carregar (media de 50 segundos no primeiro round e 25 nos demais) era o que mais jogava, amava este jogo. Na época tinha também o PS1, mas mesmo sendo loading mais rápido eu gostava mesmo era do Neo Geo CD. Estava ansioso para ver este vídeo de comparação para saber se tinha conseguido descobrir todas as diferenças da versão Neo Geo CD em relação ao arcade. Eu já tinha notado do logo do que não girava em volta do globo, do personagem que aguarda ser o próximo não tinha animação no terremoto do Daimom e o balão faltando na face americana , mas não tinha conseguido ver as animações diferente da Blue-Mary, do Billy e Chris. Sei que era problema de hardware os lowdowns mas ate gostava, e achava estranho jogar saturno por não te-los. No mais parabéns cara, ótimo video.

[@svcocoTV]

Please continue with Kof98 and Kof99. I've always wondered if animation frames were cut on Neo Geo CD ports of those games as popularly believed

[@jamesbo5930]

No frames cut on and neo CD game

[@ANAS4FIRE]

@@jamesbo5930 Are You Really Sure?

[@jamesbo5930]

Yes. Just size of things

[@Darknight0681]

Nope, those systems just had long load times. Past that they had 7MB of RAM not to mention totally dedicated 2D hardware identical to the arcade, which is more than what the Sega Saturn had to work with even with the 1MB RAM cart.

[@willkelmanpenapena3551]

I miss you man

[@xWagnerPlaguesx]

I miss this channel..i hope you're good, my guy.

[@mursaleensaleem1806]

Same

[@rogersaiko]

Por favor, faça um vídeo com essa qualidade pra The Last Blade 1 e 2. Parabéns pelo trabalho!

[@heresachallenger]

Estou aguardando o vídeo de KoF '98, SVC Chaos, MvsC2. Parabéns pelo trabalho.

[@wilderespinoza9772]

Good video like

[@AnonymousYT983]

great work, only the wii version was missing which probably must be quite similar to the ps2 but it is worth mentioning to make it more complete than it already is.

[@VintageRetrogames]

Man, what happened to you? Your comparison videos are amazing!!! Why did you stop?

[@SiincereARC]

Out of curiosity, do you plan to do any version of Street Fighter 3? It would be nice to see one that has console comparisons (and maybe emulator comparisons as well).

[@Deception2000]

He has a video compairing the Street fighter alpha 3, that may be helpful

[@Adam-rt7lp]

Is this channel still alive? I was really hoping to see some street fighter 3 comparisons... aswell as street fighter collection PS1 vs Saturn

[@CastleFamilyThe]

Nice comparison! Certainly this was the worst KOF for NGCD loading time wise, 98-99 thankfully improved on this

[@Pagaugezero]

Probably because of more cuts

[@LansTartare]

Please come back!

[@PipoBeltran89]

Hi, are you ok?? Your videos are amazing, please come back!! 🥺

[@LilScam4u]

Fantastic video. Seeing the NeoGeo Pocket version makes me feel like maybe Skullgirls had some inspiration from the art style.

[@keypath4389]

Are you planning on doing kof 99 too?

[@pie6459]

Can Billy connect 2C after 6A in Saturn and NeoGeo CD versions?

[@clarinetepetermann486]

O melhor de todos! Melhor versão Neo Geo Arcade

[@alessandroluciocordeirodas9115]

Pra mim o melhor dos dois mundos seria a versão do Arcade com as musicas do Neo Geo CD. Cara as musicas no CD era muito melhor.

[@milfilosofia4994]

@@alessandroluciocordeirodas9115 No PS2 versão japonesa é assim, ficou muito dahora

[@thepulseman7154]

Discovered this video and channel today, too bad it doesn't continue. Anyway if I understood correctly in Neo CD vs Saturn vs Playstation, Saturn version is the second best looking one whereas Playstation is the second best sounding one.

[@DanielAyy]

Hey man, how are you doing?

[@TCI_YT]

Otimo Video!KoF 97 Para O Ps1 Devia Se Chamar The King Of Lost Frames 97

[@ThelosVerlos]

Parece mais uma apresentação de powerpoint do q um jogo, um horror...

[@carmaggedon666]

It's desappointing Iori's strong flying kick was totally cut off on PS1 version, and it was replaced by other different frames.

[@alexisken3824]

Me gustaría ver la comparativa del kof99

[@SMEARGLEX75]

the ios/android port is kind of decent, its only con is the ai being stronger over levels

[@rikratosbits9175]

Please make "vs" samurai shodown 3, neo geo cd, ps1 and saturn

[@lucasraphael6236]

Still hoping for a KOF '98 comparison...

[@machewgun503]

the neo geo hardware allways struggles with the framerate in many games, the thing is, that those slowdowns had his charm and weren´t annoying

[@mandraqueazul]

Ja testou a versão de Saturn sem o cartucho? Aumenta o tempo de loadings ou nem funciona?

[@gingataisen]

*Sega* *Saturn* for the win! 💪❤😎

[@Bloodreign1]

Shame it's sound is so jacked up. I own that version, the PS1 version, the Wii Orochi Saga version, and the Japanese PS2 Orochi Hen version, and to be honest, when I seriously want to play KoF 97, I turn to that PS2 version as to me it is the best home version (it emulates the AES versions, with the arranged music from the Neo CD added in as an option, AES and MVS mirror each other perfectly). The Saturn version is still jank due to sound compression, (and animation frame cuts though to be honest, that part doesn't bother me all that much at all) something that plagues every SNK Saturn port, and pretty much all Capcom Saturn stuff outside of Vampire Savior.

[@jamesbell3216]

And it's shingos first debut

[@flynnpinkman6950]

What is the name of the first song in the video?

[@user-qn5pt5mt9r]

Everything is for the Awakening - kof 97 soundtrack

[@Christopherh1234]

Actually The Wii Version Of Orochi Saga Has No Loading Times but the PS2 one does.

[@sladejosephwilson2300]

Oh wow

[@Christopherh1234]

@@sladejosephwilson2300 Yep The Only Time The PS2 Version Of Orochi Sage Doesn't Have The Loading Time Unless It's The Japanese Version.

[@cobrakainevereverdies6940]

Saturn and Dreamcast were the best things that Sega ever made

[@rafael0a0t]

Make a kof 98 with DC and neogeo poket color version, please

[@groidcel]

Make more videos please.

[@timskamlam1242]

Show, sega Saturn mostrou ser melhor em frames e tudo mais, um port perfeito do arcade.

[@Edu_Vanquish]

Que pena que você desistiu do canal...

[@IAMNOTRANA]

Neo Geo CD literally exist for arranged tracks lol

[@ANAS4FIRE]

KoF 98 Ports Pls!!

[@WeskerSega]

Too bad they didn't add language options to the Sega Saturn and PlayStation versions of The King of Fighters '97. SNK was somewhat inconsistent with this aspect in the conversions for non-SNK platforms. They were in The King of Fighters '96, weren't in The King of Fighters '97, but were brought back in The King of Fighters '98, or at least, in the Dreamcast version which was retitled "Dream Match 1999". Dunno about the PlayStation version of that one, honestly.

[@xsamas777]

Irá fazer um vídeo sobre o Kof'98? Saudações do Brasil

[@dinhozapa8758]

Claro que nenhum vai bater de frente com o Arcade, mas a meu ver a versão mais completa é a versão do Saturn, apesar da versão do Neo Geo CD ser um pouquinho mais fiel no som os loadings do Neo Geo irritam demais e acaba perdendo nisso para as outras versão, e a do PSone é a versão mais fraca nitidamente.

[@Ifalvarado]

This game was the first of neo cd cripple ports for frames....

[@PAKA62]

Too many animation frames

[@Bloodreign1]

The best way to play KoF 97 in the home on non SNK made hardware? The Japanese PS2 version found on Orochi Hen. None of the jank of the US PS2 version, no load times, broken sound, slowdown, animation frames are all intact, it's damned near perfect.

[@laumpolumpio]

voice samples on Sega saturn are compressed which makes them sounds bad.

[@CLAVERIALAURENCECLYDED_A]

47:40

[@jaimezunigaobando4622]

Neogeo (original), sega saturn and PS2 japanese version are the Best 🤔

[@cristianramallo8042]

si hubiesen aprovechado el cartucho de 4mb de ram en sega saturn seria el mejor port

[@gamesretro16xd84]

Kof 98

[@AquyllysX701]

A melhor versão é a de NEO GEO Pocket falo mesmo kkkk

[@shenlngbr7514]

PS1 perdeu em quase tudo kkkkkkkkkkk só escapou no atraso de frames, na hora das chamas

[@240pgames4]

Podia ter colocado texto em pt br pelo menos né?

[@retroport9393]

Tem legendas em português. Ou não apareceu?

[@240pgames4]

RetroPort agora sim, apareceu legenda. Eu que sou idiota em deixar o bagulho desligado HUEHUEHUEE

[@lucobek8821]

First one

[@Osuna_CC]

So... The best version is? PS2 Japanese? ...and may be Saturn... ¿Isn't it? Even better than NeoGeo ones

[@Flynn-games]

PS1 conversion has a low cpu level...different from mvs-console cd

[@Darknight0681]

CPU had zero to do with this. The PS1 was a 3D GPU based system with no sprite or raster hardware. The biggest flaw is the lack of RAM. If they had that, they would’ve been able to recreate the game just as good as anything else at the time. Even the Saturn needed a RAM cart and it’s still not perfect by any stretch.

[@Bloodreign1]

Saturn and PS1 versions are pretty much the same difficulty wise, but then again compared to earlier SNK made fighters, it is far easier on any version, arcade included.

[@Deception2000]

Next: Kof 98

[@ZappaSlayer]

As vozes ficaram uma bosta no Saturn

[@Captainkirk923]

First

[@renegadenolram6978]

e morreu.